Smile!

We were out for dinner and just exploring a quaint town nearby when Little Miss sat down and flashed the most brilliant smile for a photo.  I love it!

She will occasionally smile for the camera, but the times are few and far between.  When she does flash her smile, you can see how her entire face lights up.  You can also see the clothes she picked out herself and the tie-dye shirt she made at camp this summer.  Little girl is getting so big.

Apple Picking

Right around her first birthday we tried taking Little Miss strawberry picking.  It was a huge failure.

I didn't think about the berries being so low and trying to baby wear.  Little Miss wasn't walking yet and hubs wouldn't be able to bend over to pick barries for long, not to mention that Little Miss wouldn't have a clue what was going on anyway.  It didn't matter because even though we were the first people there that day, the berries were all picked over anyway.  Chalked that one up in the fail column and moved on.

Fast forward a few years and some of my mama friends wanted to try apple picking.  I learned my lesson about waiting for the weekend when Daddy could be there, and we luckily had Grandma visiting, so I jumped at the chance and even brought the good camera.  It was a gorgeous day, but really hot.  We all started out with our wagons and bags ready to fill with apples, full of hope.

Little Miss loved it!  She got to help pick apples off the tree and bring them back to our wagon.

She got to ride and do quality control.

She got to pull the wagon and scout out our next tree.

Grandma helped her pull some apples that were up high.

But most of all, she got to sweat.

After about an hour the kids just melted and began to get irritable and asked to go back.  We weighed our apples, paid and were on our way.  I now declare her old enough to pick her own food.  I can't wait until strawberry season rolls around next Spring.  

Just Like Daddy #2349

The teachers at school want all the kids potty trained by Christmas.  I really don't care, but whenever we go to other kids' houses who have little potties, Little Miss seems very interested.  When I was able to score one from a local mama, I snapped it up.  Now I should mention that Mama and Daddy have no privacy when it comes to the bathroom so when a potty arrived just for Little Miss, trips into the bathroom with Daddy left her knowing just what to do.

First she got a stool and put her feet up, just like the squatty potty we have in our bathroom.

Then she got some reading material, figuring that she would be there a while.

And, finally, when that failed, she tried the trusty standing up.

Little eyes truly are watching all the time.  She and I had the anatomy talk, but that didn't seem to matter.  Clearly, Daddy does it better.

Pink Ninja

My little bumble bee sprouted from a lightweight 

to a full pink ninja!

The ninja also proudly wears socks with sandals which is scary for another reason.

Hikin', Creekin', Ya Know...

We've been on quite the hiking kick lately.  The mornings have a hint of coolness and being in the shade with the breeze is just heavenly.  One morning Little Miss and I ventured to a different trail than we typically go to.  She was still pretty cuddly when we started out.

Off we went and enjoyed our hike.  The last stretch is pretty flat so I usually let Little Miss down and she hikes out the last bit.  There's a bridge over a creek, but this morning she wanted to hang out in the creek. No problem.  Imagine our surprise when we found stashed under the bridge a bunch of toys.

We brought them out, explored, played and shared, while making sure to get in plenty of creek time.

There's not going to be too much time left before the creek gets too cold so we're really appreciating things while we can.

Belly Rubs: Then and Now

Every once in a while I stumble upon a moment between Little Miss and Huck so sweet, so cute, that I thank my lucky stars I'm able to snap photos so quickly.  While the light on this one wasn't great because of the backlighting, sometimes you have to work with what you got, and I captured a precious moment between the two.

Now (August 2015)

This reminded me of another precious moment that happened a while ago.  

THEN: (December 2013)

Oh, those two.

Best Birthday Gift Ever

Earlier this summer we were invited to a birthday party.  The mother said that her son had lots of toys, so if you wanted to bring a gift you could, but it was certainly not needed.  I'm not a great gift giver and I stress out about what to buy for others, but I came across this link in a group I'm in and love the idea of it.  http://www.sokindregistry.org/ideas  The premise of the site is to 'register' for experiential or handmade gifts, not stuff.  In looking through their ideas, I thought that I'd invite the birthday boy over for a baking play date.  His mom was thrilled with the gift and we arranged a time for the two to get together.  

When the day arrived, they came over and the two kids played together for a bit while the moms got everything set up.  We had two bowls, lots of measuring cups and spoons and two different recipes to try.  It went really well.  The kids each had their own equipment so there was no fighting over taking turns.  Because there were two moms, one could measure and pour with the kids while the other got the ingredients out and ready.  In the end, we each had a bunch of muffins and the kids were happy.  I usually see the mom out hiking, so it was really nice for she and I to get together and hang out inside as well.   I'll definitely be giving that as a gift again. 

My Little Bag Lady

One day I was unpacking the groceries and the reusable bags were out.  Little Miss apparently decided to see how big the bag was.  She was delighted when Daddy picked her up and took her for a little ride.

It's true that good things do come in small packages.

Toddler Recliner

I LOVE, LOVE LOVE my Bob stroller.  It glides over everything, holds everything I need it to and is generally amazing.  The only downside is that it's huge.  This wasn't a problem in the suburbs, but with a small apartment and limited closet space it can sometimes be an issue.  Occasionally we bring the stroller into the apartment and don't get around to breaking it down to put in the closet right away.  Little Miss loves climbing up in it and just hanging out in the chair.  One afternoon she decided to hang out in there with a snack.

My little one really cracks me up.  Since our living room seating is pretty limited maybe we should bring the stroller in there and let her at it.

Rainy Afternoon Adventure

A little while ago we had one of those days that was dreary and had lots of drizzle, but not full-out rain.  After spending the morning inside, I thought the rain stopped and we would go on a little adventure.  I was wrong about the rain, but it was so light and the thought of dealing with Little Miss Protestor was so disillusioning, I decided we would brave the rain anyway.  We went to our local hidden greenway to hang out and see what we could see.  Sometime during our walk the rain stopped and it wound up being an amazing afternoon.  We stopped at the gazebo to have a snack and check things out.

Then we went down to the water to see if the ducks were across the way.

And both she and puppy stopped long enough for a drink.

When I taught in New Zealand it rained all the time (think Seattle).  If a day was drizzly like this one it didn't stop outside play or phase the kids at all.  I tried to channel my inner kiwi for the day and it really paid off.  Plus, humidity does great things for Little Miss' curls.

We turned a day couped up inside into a really fun, relaxed afternoon adventure.  I hope that I remember to do more of that as the fall weather and rains really kick in.

A Little Space, Please

Anyone remember that line from Dirty Dancing?  Anyone?  Ok- maybe I was a little too obsessed with that movie.  I love Little Miss and I sometimes love having her help me in the kitchen, but sometimes Mama just needs to get stuff done.  One day I was cooking when Little Miss wanted my attention.  I told her to entertain herself for a bit and I would be with her when I was finished.  While she did a great job entertaining herself, I didn't realize it would be so close!

(Picture me standing in front of the stove.) While personal space, especially while working so close to really hot appliances is appreciated, it's also nice that she wants to be this close to me.  I'm definitely appreciating it while it lasts.

Going on a Bear Hunt

One of our local hiking groups offered a bear hunt hike.  It was too cute an idea to pass up!  Nap time worked out for us and we met a bunch of other kids at a local trail to hike and look for bears.  A few people had gone out ahead of time to hide the bears and make sure there were enough for all the kids.  Little Miss Explorer quickly figured out what was happening and ran off to find her bear.  I got a great video, but can't post it here.  After, she held her bear the entire hike while other kids went ahead to look for theirs.

It was such a cute idea and there was such a great turnout that they said they would do it every few months at a different park.  I love this idea, but we're getting a bit overloaded in the stuffed animal department.  I have a few that I've sneaked out of the rotation and wouldn't mind donating to the cause, but I'll have to be sure to 'miss' that hike so there's no confusion when someone else finds a bear that she recognizes.  It makes me wonder what other hunts I could create for her.

How Embarrassing

My dad was a guy who liked to have fun and didn't care what other people thought about him.  This led to many embarrassing moments growing up, especially as a teenager.  Luckily, hubs is a pretty laid-back guy and doesn't usually embarrass me at all.  I thought I was safe for a while.  Until Little Miss began dressing herself, that is.  In one way, having a toddler dress themselves is great.  All I have to do is open the drawer, tell Little Miss to pick out something to wear and she takes care of the rest.  It saves me lots of time and hassle.  

Unfortunately, I no longer have a say in the order (or direction) in which she puts on her clothes, for example.  I'm trying so hard to encourage independence where possible, so I daren't say anything about her clothing choices, but it was pretty hard to walk through the neighborhood with this:

and not feel compelled to tell all that we passed that she dressed herself (although I'm sure they probably guessed).  So, if we come to hang out and Little Miss is looking a bit weird, just compliment her on dressing herself, give me a wink and we'll be all good.

The Laundry Boat

One of the great things about kids is their ability to use their imaginations.  I was doing laundry one morning when Little Miss hopped into a laundry basket, calling it a boat.  She was having fun when Huckleberry came to investigate.  This was his mistake because Little Miss Sailor insisted that he also get a boat ride.  He didn't look thrilled, but luckily it didn't take long for him to get his sea legs.

It wasn't long at all before she jumped in with him.

He seemed less than thrilled, but luckily the boat ride was short.

First Day of School

We arrived home from reunion just in time for the first day of 'school.' Little Miss will continue to go to Mother's Day Out twice a week.  This summer she had a chance to bond with her teacher and adjust to the new school.  This wound up being a great thing because for many of her classmates, this was their first experience being left at school.  While there was crying and tears to go around her room, Little Miss stayed calm and didn't fuss when I left.  Realizing I forgot to get a picture in the chaos, the director volunteered to go into the classroom and snap some shots.

You can see that she's holding her Tigger and looking concerned, but I'm not sure if she was sad about being left or about all the crying kids in her midst.  I didn't need to worry because she did great.  The teacher posted pictures of all the kids napping and told me how caring she had been to the other kids throughout the day (giving them hugs, bringing them toys, etc).  I don't think I've ever been prouder.  At the end of the day I was able to right my wrong and get a picture of Little Miss with her two teachers this year.  I'm excited and think it's going to be a great year.

Zoo for Days

Even though we live really close to the zoo now, I never really got in the habit of taking Little Miss.  There always seemed to be something else to do- play at a park, go for a hike, music class, meet friends, etc.  One day a group we're part of hosted a Zoo hike and we decided that it was time to check it out again.  We went slowly, but we really got to enjoy the exhibits this time and Little Miss had a blast.  Perhaps her favorite was the turtle exhibit where you could go in a pet the turtles.

While she wasn't keen to pet the turtles herself, she was delighted for me to do it and often guided my hand towards a turtle's back that needed attention.  While we were there we had the distinction of watching a turtle poop.  Apparently this made quite the impact because when we read a certain book now with a turtle character, she always points to it.  I say, 'turtle,' and she always replies, 'poop.'
The flamingos were also fun.

I decided that it might be time to actually commit to going so I bought a family membership.  This wound up being a really great thing for Daddy/Daughter Sunday mornings.  The zoo opens a full hour before other places in town, so now she and her daddy go out for breakfast and then hit the zoo most weekends.  As a consequence, I get to keep doing the fun things that I enjoy more around town, and she and her Daddy have fun exploring all the different parts of the zoo.  They found a cool playground area.

He also indulges her on rides like the carousel.

I have mixed feelings about bringing my daughter to watch animals in captivity for entertainment but I'm glad that she and her father are having so much fun exploring all that it has to offer.

Road Trip: Reunion Time

It's hard for me to admit this, but this year marks 20 years since I graduated high school.  I'm not afraid of getting older at this point, I'm feeling healthy and feel like my best years are still ahead, but it's so hard to believe that 20 years have passed since I left that school.  It could be worse, it's been 25 years for hubs;) Since I was completely single at the last reunion (I met hubs the following month), it was important for me that the family make the trek up so I could show him off  share a little piece of my childhood with him.  Grandma agreed to most of the childcare for the weekend, so all there was left to do was load up the car and head North.
There were games in the car:

The obligatory trips to the play ground:

walking Huckleberry's friend, Finnegan:

climbing ladders:

and swimming in the pool:

What makes this weekend special, you might ask?
CAKE!

It was a fun weekend and I'm glad I got to catch up with everyone.  By the end we were exhausted, but everyone had a good time.

Splash!

Last year I tried taking Little Miss to a few splash pads and it just wasn't her thing.  While she loved swimming pools, water coming and dropping her in the face wasn't so welcome.  We got her to play a little, once, but stuck to pools thereafter.
May 2014

Fast forward a year, and Little Miss has changed her thinking.  She loved going to a few of the splash pads around town.  While she still doesn't love water dropping over her head, she managed to have a great time.
August 2015

She also found some sand to play with as a way to challenge my ability to get her back into the car semi-clean.

I'm glad that she had more fun this year and is able to play in the water and nearby activities for so long.  We've been blessed to have pools the last 2 summers, but next summer all we'll have are the local splash pads so I'm glad that she'll enjoy them and we'll be able to make the most of them.